Guard for trolley-wheels.



No. 781,721. PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905. M. M. HART.

GUARD FOR TROLLEY WHEELS.

I!!! I! will llll/rllf lrllllllllllllflllfd Patented February '7, 1905.

PATENT OEEicE.

MERlYlN M. HART, OF CHICAGO, ILLiNOlS.

GUARD FOR TROLLEY-WHEELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,721, dated February '7', 1905.

1 Application filed April 15, 1904. Serial No. 203,250.

To (07/ wit/mt it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, MERwIN M. HART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in G uards for Trolley-\Vheels, of which the following is a specification.

In the art to which this invention relates great difficulty is often experienced when turning sharp curves or crossing intersecting trolley-wires by having the trolley-wheel jump from the wire, thereby causing delay and annoyance; and the present invention is intended to provide a simple and thoroughly reliable guard or protector which may be easily applied to trolley-poles of the ordinary construction.

The invention consists in the arrangement of guard or idler wheels on each side of the trolley-wheel and in the mounting for the wheels, enabling the device to be applied to trolley-poles of any ordinary construction.

The invention finally consists in the featu res of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings illustrating the invention,

Figure 1 is an edge elevation of the guard, showing the wheels and mounting therefor; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 a longitudinal sectional elevation of Fig. 2.

The device as shown consists of a head A, provided with a downwardly-projecting stem or stud B, adapted to enter the end of a tubular trolley-pole C, and the stem or stud is held in place by means of pins 0, which project outwardly through and are movable in elongated transversely-extending slots 0 in the trolley-pole, which arrangement allows the head to be moved or turned so that when in use the head will remain parallel with the trucks of the car when the car is rounding a curve, which is a matter of considerable importance, since it prevents binding of. the trolley-wheel and enables the trolley-wheel to conform to the curvature of the wire. The

head is provided with two upwardly-extending arms D, terminating in rounded upper ends e, between which passes a journal-pin (Z, which is held in place by means of lock-pins r! passing through the journal-pin exterior of the supporting-arms. Rotatably mounted on the journal-pin is a trolley-wheel E, provided with a curvcdly-recessed periphery a for the contact of the trolley-wire. On opposite sides of the trolley-wheel are rotatably mounted idler guard-wheels F, each provided with an inwardly-beveled hub f, having an inner diameter substantially equal to that of the diameter of the trolleywheel, and said guard wheels are provided on their outer edges with annular flanges (Jr, on the inner faces of which flanges are arranged a series of inwardly-projecting lugs which lugs are beveled, on their outer faces Thelngs, as shown, are of a size to have their inner edges lie outside of the planes of the side faces of the troiley-wheel and, as shown, are eight in number, although a greater or less number might be employed under some circumstances.

ln use the supporting-head can be inserted into any trolley pole of tubular construction, and the present invention does not relate in any way to the construction or arrangement of the trolley-pole itself or to the manner of holding the wheel in contact with the trolleywire. The trolley-wheel can easily be brought into contact with the trolley-wire, since the beveled lugs and the beveled faces of the hubs both tend to throw the trolley-wheel onto the trolley-wire when it becomes displaced, and it is for this purpose that the lugs are beveled, as shown. \Vhen the trolley-ire is traveling along the straight wire, the wire will bear at all times lirmly against the wheel; but when the wheel comes to curves in the wire or intersecting wires the trolley-wirc will often be displaced and strike against one or more of the beveled lugs which are mounted on the rotatable idler-wheels to prevent friction or binding, which would be the case if the lugs were rigidly secured. This arrangement enables the lugs to be moved more or less until the trolley-wire has been thrown back into contact with the trolleyav'heel; butat the same time the lugs prevent the trolley-wire from being thrown entirely out of place and prevent its working up over the annular flange, which would be the case if the lugs were omitted. The movement of the supporting-head will enable the trolley-Wheel to conform as nearly as possible to the curvature of the trolley-wire and hold said wheel substantially in line with the trucks of the car as the same moves around a curve.

The parts above described are preferably all made of suitable conductive material, so that the current taken from a trolley-wire will be easily conducted through the head and trolleypole to the car.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the device is simple and adapted for use with trolley-wires and poles of any usual and wellknown construction and that the head and wheels attached thereto can be easily applied to or removed from a trolley-pole when it is desirable to repair or substitute any of the parts. The wear on the guard-wheels will be very much less than against a guardplate rigidly mounted, for the reason that when the wire strikes the guard-wheels the same will be rotated and the friction reduced to a minimum.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a trolley-wheel guard, the combination of a head, a trolley-wheel rotatably mounted in the head, idler guard-wheels on each side of the trolley-wheel, and inwardly-projecting lugs on the inner faces of the guard-Wheels, substantially as described.

2. In a trolley-wheel guard, the combination of a head, a trolley-wheel rotatably mounted in the head, idler guard-wheels on each side of the trolley-wheel, and inwardly-projecting beveled lugs on the inner faces of theguardwheels, substantially as described.

3. In a trolley-wheel guard, the combination of a head adapted to be removably mounted on the end of a trolley-pole, two arms upwardly projecting from the head, a pivot-pin extending between the arms, a grooved trolopposite sides of the trolley-wheel, each of the idler-wheels having an outwardly-beveled hub, an outwardly-projecting annular flange, and a series of inwardly-projecting beveled lugs arranged around the flanges, substantially as described.

5. In a trolley-wheel guard, the combination of a head provided with a downwardlyprojecting shank, a tubular trolley-pole into which the shank is inserted, said trolley-pole being provided with a transversely-extending slot, a pin outwardly projecting from the shank and adapted to travel in the slot, arms upwardly projecting from the head, a pivotpin carried by the arms, a grooved trolleywheel mounted on the pivot-pin, idler guardwheels rotatably mounted on the pivot-pin on opposite sides of the trolley-wheels, each of the guard-wheels being provided with an outwardly-beveled hub terminating in an outwardly-projecting annular flange, and a series of inwardly-projecting lugs beveled on their outer sides, substantially as described.

MERVVIN M. HART.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL WV. BANNING, VVILLIAM P. BOND. 

